


Something

by carpetsocks



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: After patch 8.3, Face Punching, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Post-Betrayal, Talking, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29169768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carpetsocks/pseuds/carpetsocks
Summary: There's a lot to be said between them.
Relationships: Implied Past Wrathion/Anduin Wrynn, Wrathion & Anduin Wrynn
Kudos: 5





	Something

**Author's Note:**

> Wrathion seemed like he had more to say and is too stubborn to let it drop.

Anduin looked over his shoulder, hand already on the hilt of Shalamayne, when he heard footsteps behind him. The red light from Wrathion’s eyes revealed his smirk and the king sighed. “Advisor,” he said, turning back to the view of the city lights.

“Still formal in the dark, are we?” The dragon stood a little too close, his smirk evident even in his voice.

“You seem to think we are friends.” Anduin didn’t look at him. He refused to.

“My dear king, I am wounded! We may have had a falling out, but what was it you said all those years ago? That you would always be there? You seemed rather fond of saying it, you couldn’t have believed I forgot!”

“Wrathion, stop.” He prayed for patience and turned to the dragon. “This isn’t happening. I’m done. I was done years ago when you couldn’t be bothered to show up. It’s too late.”

Wrathion’s smirk slipped off his face. “I was busy. I would have come…”

“A letter then, a note, anything. Anything would have been better than worrying that you were dead, or that worry fading into not even caring anymore.” Anduin turned back to the view.

“I didn’t want you to think I was using you,” Wrathion said. His words held vulnerability. His eyes did not.

“So you come back when your sole purpose is to use my armies? Not even me, just the resources I hold stewardship over.” Anduin shook his head. “I will never understand your logic.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t exactly have anywhere else to turn.” Wrathion adjusted the cuffs of his coat. “Most my allies have either fallen or turned against me.”

“Well, glad to know I made the bottom of the list.”

“Odd, I don’t remember you being so stubborn out of pride.”

“You wish to speak of pride?” Anduin’s fist clenched on the stone bulwark as he turned back to the dragon. “You want to walk in here and pretend nothing happened, that I didn’t suffer for _six years_ because you were too prideful to admit you were wrong?! That you’re still too prideful to admit?!?”

“There’s no point in apologies if they won’t _do_ anything.” Anduin had heard that tone of voice before: with his hired help discussing wages.

He swung hard at the dragon and the crack of his fist against Wrathion’s jaw was the most satisfying sound he’d heard since the first time he’d punched him. Wrathion stumbled back, instinctively turning away, hunched over, hand to his face, but he recovered fast and turned back, trying to recompose himself.

“I assumed we were past that stage,” he began before Anduin punched him again, this one landing squarely on his cheekbone.

“If you continue, I’ll have to assume you mean me harm and I will retaliate,” he huffed angrily as he straightened up in time for a sharp jab to the nose that landed him on his butt.

There was something about how Wrathion looked up at him with watering red eyes that made the tension drain out of Anduin and brought him right back to not caring. He raised his fist again but Wrathion’s eyes didn’t leave his. “What was that about retaliating?” He asked tiredly, his hand dropping back to his side.

There was a long, calculating moment of tension as Wrathion stood up. “Nothing,” the rogue practically spat as he turned and looked over the city in the opposite direction of Anduin.

Anduin let out a sigh. “Well, that’s something.”

Wrathion’s head snapped around to look over his shoulder at the priest. “Something? I take an at least partially uncalled-for beating from you and it’s only something?”

“After the things you’ve done, the lives you’ve ruined…” He glanced up and met his gaze. “I would take something.”

Wrathion frowned and turned back to the view. They stood in silence for several minutes.

“Do you hate me?” The dragon asked abruptly.

Anduin had to wait as a hundred memories of their time together flashed through his mind, followed by twice as many of after he had left. They formed together into a cloud of anger and disappointment and hurt that was too intense to be fueled by truly not caring, but it wasn’t hatred.

“No,” Anduin replied.

There was a long moment of quiet. “Well,” Wrathion said, “That’s something.”

A smile twitched at the corner of Anduin’s mouth, and they watched the lights and the stars from the wall of the Keep until he went to bed.


End file.
